The invention relates to antennas and antenna structures for hand-held, portable, or fixed wireless communications devices (WCD), such as cellular telephones, data devices, and GPS receivers. More particularly, the invention relates to an asymmetrical dipole antenna that includes a short planar conductor (ground plane) portion, a resonator portion and a matching network portion. In one embodiment, the antenna is adaptable to fit inside a housing of a WCD for mechanical robustness. An antenna according to the present invention may be used for transmitting, receiving, or for transmitting and receiving.
There exists a need for an improved antenna assembly that provides a single and/or dual band response and which can be readily incorporated into a small wireless communications device (WCD). Size restrictions continue to be imposed on the radio components used in products such as portable telephones, personal digital assistants, pagers, etc. For wireless communications devices requiring a dual band response the problem is further complicated. Positioning the antenna assembly within the WCD remains critical to the overall appearance and performance of the device.
Known wireless communications devices such as hand-held cell phones and PCS devices typically are equipped with an external wire antenna (whip), which may be fixed or telescoping. Such antennas are inconvenient and susceptible to damage or breakage. The overall size of the wire antenna is relatively large in order to provide optimum signal characteristics. Furthermore, a dedicated mounting means and location for the wire antenna are required to be fixed relatively early in the engineering process. Several other antenna assemblies are known, including:
Quarter wave straight wire antenna
A quarter wave straight wire antenna is a xc2xc wavelength external antenna element, which operates as one side of a half-wave dipole. The other side of the dipole is provided by the ground traces of the transceiver""s printed wiring board (PWB). The external xc2xc wave element may be installed permanently at the top of the transceiver housing or may be threaded into place. The xc2xc wave element may also be telescopically received into the transceiver housing to minimize size. The xc2xc wave straight wire adds from 3-6 inches to the overall length of an operating transceiver.
Coiled quarter wave wire antenna
A coiled quarter wave wire antenna has an external small diameter coil that exhibits xc2xc wave resonance, and is fed against the ground traces of the transceiver""s PWB to form an asymmetric dipole. The coil may be contained in a molded member protruding from the top of the transceiver housing. A telescoping xc2xc wave straight wire may also pass through the coil, such that the wire and coil are both connected when the wire is extended, and just the coil is connected when the wire is telescoped down. The transceiver overall length is typically increased by xc2xe-1 inch by the coil.
Planar Inverted F Antenna (PIFA)
PIFA (Planar Inverted F Antenna) antennas have been used to provide a linear polarization and an omnidirectional pattern in free space, in one plane. A PIFA antenna has an external conducting plate which exhibits xc2xc wave resonance, and is fed against the ground traces of the PWB of a transceiver to form an asymmetric dipole. The plate is usually installed on the back panel or side panel of a transceiver and adds to the overall volume of the device.
Patch
Patch antennas have been used to provide either a linear polarization or a circular polarization and a near-hemispherical pattern in free space. An antenna including a planar dielectric material having a resonant structure on one major surface of the dielectric and a second ground plane structure disposed on the opposite major surface. A conductive post may electrically couple (through the dielectric) the resonant structure to a coaxial feedline.
Additionally, there have been numerous efforts in the past to provide an antenna inside a portable radio communication device. Such efforts have sought at least to reduce the need to have an external whip antenna because of the inconvenience of handling and carrying such a unit with the external antenna extended.
Various configurations of driven or driven and parasitic elements located on one side and at one end of a larger planar conductor are known to provide gain proximate that of a dipole (+2.1 dBi), a unidirectional pattern, and linear polarization. The planar conductor""s major dimension has been known to be greater than that required for the antenna of the present invention, for operation at a particular frequency range.
In view of the above-mentioned limitations of the prior art antennas, it is an object of the present invention to provide an antenna for use with a portable wireless communications device. It is another object of the invention to provide an antenna unit which is lightweight, compact, highly reliable, and efficiently produced.
The present invention replaces the external wire antenna of a wireless communication device with a resonator element which is disposed within the housing of a wireless device and closely-spaced to the printed wiring board (PWB) and signal port of the wireless device. Electrical connection to the wireless device""s PWB may be achieved through automated production equipment, resulting in cost effective assembly and production.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an antenna assembly which can resolve the above shortcomings of conventional antennas. Additional objects of the present invention include: the elimination of the external antenna and its attendant faults such as susceptibility to breakage and impact on overall length of the transceiver; the provision of an internal antenna that can easily fit inside the housing of a wireless transceiver such as a cell phone, with minimal impact on its length and volume; the provision of a cost effective antenna for a wireless transceiver, having electrical performance comparable to existing antenna types; and, the reduction in SAR (specific absorption rate) of the antenna assembly, as the antenna exhibits reduced transmit field strength in the direction of the user""s ear for hand held transceivers such as a cellular telephone, when compared to the field strength associated with an external wire type antenna system.
Another object of the present invention is the provision of an antenna assembly which is extremely compact in size relative to existing antenna assemblies. The antenna assembly may be incorporated internally within a wireless handset. A unique feed system with a matching component is employed to couple the antenna to the RF port of the wireless device. Beneficially, the antenna assembly may be handled and soldered like any other SMD electronic component. Because the antenna is small, the danger of damage is minimized as there are no external projections out of the WCD""s housing. Additionally, portions of the antenna assembly may be disposed away from the printed wiring board and components thereof, allowing components to be disposed between the antenna assembly and the printed wiring board (PWB).
Another object of the present invention is an antenna assembly providing substantially improved electrical performance versus volume ratio, and electrical performance versus cost as compared to known antenna assemblies. In a preferred embodiment, the antenna may exhibit resonant frequency ranges within cell phone and PCS bands, 880-960 MHz and 1710-1880 MHz ranges, respectively.
The present invention provides an antenna having a compact size and able to conform to an available volume in the housing of a wireless transceiver such as a cellular telephone. The antenna assembly may be excited or fed with 50 ohm impedance, which is a known convenient impedance level found at the receiver input/transmitter output of a typical wireless transceiver.
One aspect of the present invention provides an asymmetrical dipole antenna consisting of a planar conductor, a matching network, and a resonator. The antenna is relatively compact in comparison to other antennas having similar operational characteristics. The antenna may operate on one or more frequency bands, and is suitable for high volume production. The antenna exhibits simultaneous dual linear polarizations and a unidirectional pattern in at least one of its operating frequency ranges when configured for multiple-band operation. Applications for the antenna include wireless communication devices such as cellular telephones or data devices.
An object of the present invention is to provide a single or multiple-frequency-band asymmetric dipole antenna employing a small planar conductor.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an ultra-compact asymmetric dipole antenna suitable for use in a wireless communication device.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an ultra-compact asymmetric dipole antenna having a peak gain near that of a dipole antenna.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a single or multiple-frequency-band asymmetric dipole antenna exhibiting dual linear polarization within at least one of the frequency bands.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a single or multiple-frequency-band asymmetric dipole antenna exhibiting substantial unidirectivity in at least one frequency band, thereby reducing the specific absorption rate (SAR).
A further object of the present invention is to reduce the size of an asymmetric dipole antenna by employing a resonator closely spaced and generally parallel to a matching network and underlying ground plane.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a reduced-sized asymmetrical dipole antenna containable within the top rear of a wireless communications device, such as a cellular telephone, in order to reduce electrical interference caused by the hand of the user.
Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a reduced-sized asymmetric dipole antenna having a resonator with sections facilitating multiple frequency band resonance.
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a reduced-sized asymmetric dipole antenna having a resonator lying in a plane generally parallel to a closely spaced planar matching network and underlying ground plane in which the resonator section includes skirt portions folded toward the matching network.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a reduced-sized asymmetric dipole antenna having a resonator section lying in a plane generally parallel to a closely spaced planar matching network in which the matching network includes three sections, one of which is a shorted stub and another is a series impedance element.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an ultra-compact asymmetrical dipole antenna having a useful impedance match to a nominally 50 ohm unbalanced feed line.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an ultra-compact asymmetrical dipole antenna for use in a wireless communications device having a resonator and a matching network fabricated with printed circuit board elements and a planar conductor (ground plane) constituted by the printed circuit board ground traces of the wireless communications device""s electronics.
The above and other objects and advantageous features of the present invention will be made apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the drawings.